Our Mission
To facilitate tangible contributions to Armenia’s sustainable development by increasing awareness of and supporting solutions to environmental issues in Armenia.
Supporting local campaigns against potentially destructive activities and projects
Securing small grants for local partners and providing strategic guidance on projects and campaigns
Supporting international exchanges
The three widely recognized tenets of sustainable development are:
1) Environmental Development; 2) Economic Development; and 3) Social Development.
To balance among all three factors creates truly sustainable development - development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
AEN works to connect people on the ground in Armenia with others who support activities that bring about positive change.
Meet The Director
Serda Ozbenian joined AEN at the launch event in 2007 and has been serving as the Executive Director ever since. Serda is a researcher with 11 years' experience working on a variety of environmental and social projects, internationally and domestically. She resides in Maryland but frequently visits and works in Armenia in different capacities.
Outside of AEN, Serda has been involved in various other projects in Armenia. In 2010, Serda visited Armenia for the first time as a Birthright Armenia volunteer, volunteering with the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets. In 2012, as part of her graduate work, Serda conducted the first comprehensive survey of attitudes toward and conflicts with wolves and bears in rural villages in Armenia. She is a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship for which she conducted sign surveys of wolves and bears in Armenia in 2014/15.
Serda holds an MS in Environmental Science and Policy from George Mason University. She currently works full-time managing conservation programs for a nonprofit in Virginia.
